ASEAN split on how to deal with China in South China Sea row

Southeast Asia's main grouping opened a meeting of their foreign ministers
Sunday, deeply divided on how to deal with China's territorial expansion in the
South China Sea that has impacted some of its members and whipped up an
increasing diplomatic quagmire.

Laos is hosting the gathering of the 10-nation Association of Southeast
Asian Nations, which traditionally ends with a joint statement. But the
sticking point is whether to include a reference to the South China Sea.
ASEAN's cardinal principle is decisions by consensus, which means any country
can veto a proposal. This time, it appears to be Cambodia, China's close
ally.

In welcoming remarks, Laotian Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith made no
mention of the dispute.

In 2012, Cambodia also blocked a reference to the dispute, which ended with
the ministers failing to issue a statement for the first time in the bloc's
history.

"Despite conflicts and challenges that have occurred in different parts of
the world in general, peace, stability and development cooperation among
nations remain the prevailing trend in this era," Kommasith said. "Our
collective efforts are imperative to seize opportunities and address challenges
facing various parts of the world in an effective manner."

The Sunday talks are expected to deal with terrorism, economy, climate
change, security, the impact of Brexit and other issues. But at the top of
everyone's mind is the July 12 decision by The Hague-based tribunal in a
dispute between China and the Philippines.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration found that China had no basis for its
expansive claims to territorial waters around the Philippines. China has
similar claims against other ASEAN nations, including Vietnam and Malaysia, and
the ruling should have emboldened ASEAN to challenge Beijing more forcibly.

But that's being prevented by Cambodia, said diplomats speaking on condition
of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter with the
media. They said the draft statement to be issued by the ministers on Tuesday
left blank spaces under the heading "South China Sea" until a consensus can be
reached.

Laos, which also is a China ally, has trod carefully and not taken sides
because of their position as the host.

A diplomat who attended closed door meetings told The Associated Press:
"Cambodia is the villain deja vu 2012. It's really a loyalist of the big
country C," the diplomat said, referring to China.

Tran Viet Thai, deputy director of the Institute of Strategic Studies, a
Vietnamese government think tank, described the arbitration tribunal's ruling
as very important because, theoretically at least, it should help resolve
disputes, uphold the law and clarify the stance of the parties. "But at this
point, it is not a magic stick ... it's not a solution to everything, but
rather it needs to be combined with other measures." .

The South China Sea is dotted with reefs and rocky outcroppings that several
governments claim, including China and the Philippines. The arbitration panel
didn't take a position on who owns the disputed territories. It did conclude
that many of them are legally rocks, even if they've been built into islands,
and therefore do not include the international rights to develop the
surrounding waters. That and other findings invalidated much of what China's
called its historic claims to the resource-rich sea.

In order to ease tensions, China, the Philippines and possibly other
claimants must define what the ruling means for fishing, offshore oil and gas
exploration, and military and other activities in the vast body of water that
lies between the southern Chinese coast and the Philippine archipelago.

China has rejected the ruling as bogus, and called for bilateral
negotiations with the Philippines. In recent days, its military has staged
live-firing exercises in the area and said it would begin regular aerial
patrols over the sea. It also has asserted that it will not be deterred from
continuing construction of its man-made islands.

The Philippines also remains in a tight spot despite the legal and moral
victory it gained through the tribunal's decision. It simply cannot afford to
antagonize China, especially since the country's new president, Rodrigo
Duterte, has made friendly overtures to Beijing to repair relations that were
strained under his predecessor, Benigno Aquino III.

The meetings will also be notable for the presence of Myanmar Foreign
Minister Aung San Suu Kyi, who will be attending an ASEAN meeting for the first
time in that role since her party took power earlier this year after decades of
military rule.